Midtown Cafe staying put, for now

The timeline has been extended for Midtown Cafe’s stay at the Hotel Maytag building. After an initial renovation schedule had the restaurant moving from its longtime location by April, Midtown is now looking at sometime during the summer to relocate.

“We are open until we get moved,” part-owner Marge Horstman said. “We’re hoping before fall.”

The cafe is working to move from its current home at 120 First St. N. to the former Speakeasy location on the south side of the square at 106 First Ave. W. The new location is in need of a full kitchen to operate the business, so it will take some time before any boxes start to get packed.

“Our goal is to only to shut down for a week, sometime this year,” kitchen manager James Webster said.

A local favorite known for its hardy meals and specials including the famous “Navajo Taco,” Midtown Cafe has been serving the citizens of Newton for decades. Hotel Maytag Developer Jack Hatch said he is working with the restaurant, along with city staff, to relocate Midtown saying “it is not closing.”

“We were hoping to have little disruption in their service, maybe over the weekend or a couple of days, but we understand that from the very beginning that it is a place people like to have breakfast and lunch and they have quite a crowd, and we want to keep it for them,” Hatch said.

During a previous interview, Midtown Cafe owner Gary Sharpnack said he is excited about the move and starting at a new location. While the restaurant has called the former Hotel Maytag building home for more than 50 years, with the amount of work and time needed to restore the space, Sharpnack knew a move was the best option.

“I think it will be OK,” Sharpnack said. “It has been known as Midtown forever, people will have to get used the change of going over there.”

Following renovation work at the former hotel, Hatch plans to introduce a new restaurant to the building. From a study commissioned for the cultural and entertainment district, Hatch said they received a recommendation to upgrade the theater and restaurant space.

“It will probably be lunches and dinners and cocktails,” Hatch said. “That will not compete with what Midtown is doing and partially brings in a different clientele.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com